Always - Kenny and Karen
by Laurenluvsu03
Summary: A oneshot dedicated to my favorite brother/sister relationship ever.


**Kenny McCormick**

I wake up in my bed feeling like an enormous asshole. How could I completely desert my friends like that when they needed me?! I close my eyes and rub my forehead, wondering why can't I do anything right.

I get a sudden craving to see my little sister, Karen. I roll out of my bed and walk to her door. I open it quietly, and see my baby girl sleeping peacefully on the mattress on the floor that is her bed. She's so beautiful, especially with that serene look on her face. A little sleeping angel. It saddens me that this is about the happiest I ever get to see her. But I mean, take your pick between Mom and Dad constantly fighting, our less -than-inhabitable environment or lack of food/central heating/clean water for reasons for her unhappiness.

My siblings and I have never had a great home life, and it's affected us all in different ways. Like my older brother, Kevin, became a drunken blowhard at age twelve and then a drunken blowhard-pothead at age fifteen. Mom finally decided that she wasn't going to watch her son become the washed up piece of shit that we like to call our father, so she shipped him off to Military Academy. Now he spends his days blowing the heads off of Iraqi-Muslim-terrorists or whatever the hell they are, leaving this crappy house and fucked up family far behind… I have to say, I almost envy him.

Karen on the other hand, handles things pretty much the opposite. About every second that she's at home, she's crying, or at least very sad. She was diagnosed with chronic depression at three years old.

_Three fucking years old._

What a travesty. Signs of depression usually aren't even noticeable in a child until they hit puberty. But my baby girl had been through so much by the time that she was THREE YEARS OLD that she…. God damn it just breaks my heart every time I think about it.

I guess that's why I've always been so protective of her. I've seen her heart broken and beaten black-and-blue her whole life, and nothing has ever hurt me more. No child should EVER have to suffer the way she has. Especially a sweet little angel like her…

As for me, I distract myself from the all the misery in my life by doing everything in my power to help people. Like, with my alter ego, Mysterion. I created him as my sort of, uh… pseudonym, if you will. Something I could hide behind, so that I could help people the way I wanted to, but without anyone knowing it was me. I don't use him too much anymore though. I guess I sort of outgrew the whole "superhero" thing. The only reason I still use him anymore is to protect and comfort Karen when she's really sad or lonely. Ever since she was little, she's called Mysterion her Guardian Angel. Which is why I don't think I'll ever have the heart to give him up, at least not for a long time. Anything that can make her feel happy, or at least a little safer, is something to be treasured. To be honest, nothing has ever mattered to me more than my baby girl, and I doubt anything ever will.

I stroke her cheek ever so softly, and watch as a sweet little smile forms on her face. I give a fleeting thought to what she might be dreaming about, but not for too long, because she soon begins to stir awake. The smile fades and she blinks a few times before fully opening her eyes. Once she sees me, she jolts awake and happily shrieks my name as she throws her arms around my neck.

I hug her close to me, "Good morning, sweetheart."

She squeezes me tighter, so tight that I think I'm on the brink of asphyxiation, but I really don't care. I honestly love it. "I missed you yesterday!" she says with a bit of weariness "Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, honey. I was at Stan's house; we're all really worried about him."

She pulls back and looks at me curiously, "Why? What's the matter with him?"

"He's, uh… sick," I say cautiously.

"You're lying," she replies instantly, "It's drugs, isn't it?" I look at her. Although only twelve, Karen has proven to be extremely intelligent and insightful, unlike the majority of our family.

I sigh, resigning to the fact that she'll figure it out, regardless of what I say, "I don't know for sure, but that's what we're all thinking."

"Well, it's not like you're any stranger to that…" she says sadly, "I'm really, really sorry, Kenny."

"Don't be sorry for me, I can handle it. I just feel so bad for Wendy, she's taking it really hard."

"Poor baby," she sighs.

In desperate need of a subject change, I ask, "So, how were the tryouts?"

"Pretty easy. I'm pretty sure Ruby and I were better than a lot of those stupid anorexic bitches," she says with a smirk.

"Well, boy, am I glad to hear that! We need some girls that are actually pretty and can actually cheer on that squad."

She beams up at me, "I love you Kenny," she says sweetly.

I smile back "I love you too, Karen." I lean over and kiss her on the forehead, and then get up to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?!"

"I have to call Kyle, and then I'm gonna go to the hospital to see about Stan."

"Oh…" she bites her lip, "C-can I please go with you?" she says with desperation in her eyes, "I really don't want to be here with Dad being home."

My heart hurts a little at the obvious fear in her voice. "Of course you can, baby. But I should warn you, Stan looks REALLY bad. Like, brink of death bad… And everyone is a bit of an emotional wreck right now."

"Huh. And you really think it would be any better over here? At least I'd be with you."

"Alright, well, if you're sure, go ahead and get dressed while I go call Kyle." I then walk into the living room, where my mother is asleep on the couch. That's where she usually sleeps when she and Dad get into a fight, so I'm not surprised to see her face all bruised up. I lean over and give her a soft kiss on the cheek, so as not to wake her, and then I grab the phone off the coffee table and go into the kitchen to call Kyle.

I dial the number and the phone rings twice before Kyle's voice answers, "Hey Ken."

"How is Stan?" I ask nervously.

His voice shakes, "Just come to the hospital. Third floor, first room to the right." he hangs up, leaving me shaking in my boots. I have no idea what to think, but I'm suddenly dreading the visit to the hospital.

_What if he's dying?_

Karen comes out of her room, wearing a wrinkled t-shirt, faded blue jeans and torn up sneakers. She stops to give Mom a quick kiss on the cheek before walking out the door with me. I decide to take Dad's truck to get there faster. I mean, yeah, it's a 20-year-old rusty pickup running on three donuts, but it's still faster than walking.

When we arrive at the hospital, Karen and I hop out of the truck and walk as fast as we can into the lobby. I feel like I'm about to have a nervous breakdown as we start going up the stairs. When we finally get to the third floor, my sister stops me.

"Kenny," she says worriedly, "are you okay?"

"To be honest, I'm freaking the hell out right now."

She grabs my hand and looks at me seriously, "You know what my guardian angel told me one night when we were in that awful foster home? He told me that I wasn't alone. That no matter where I go, or what I do, that he would always be there. I may not be a guardian angel like him, but I want to say the same thing to you, Kenny. I'll always be here. Okay? I love you."

It takes everything in me to hold back the tears threatening to bead in my eyes. I pull her into a tight hug, "I love you too, my baby girl. So very, very much. I don't need a guardian angel when I have you. Thank you."

"Always," she says with a shy smile.

I don't let go of my little sister's hand as I slowly open the first door on the right.


End file.
